The Reading Terminal Market is as much a landmark in Philadelphia as the Liberty Bell and Love Park. Every time we head to Philly to visit our daughter, my husband insists we stop by so we can grab some Beiler’s Doughnuts. They have Glazed, Nutella, Peanut Butter and Chocolate, ones with sprinkles, Maple, Dutch Apple, Oreo — you name it, they’ve got it. 

The varieties are endless.

This might seem silly to state, but did you know you can actually buy most Easter candy year round? If you are a Cadbury egg fan, you’re probably saying in your head, “no!  No, you cannot!” Personally, I am a Reese’s pieces eggs fan and I cannot buy those year round. In fact, sometimes they are hard to find at Easter time. Last year, I stocked up and bought three packages and guess what? I gave the last two eggs from my Easter stash to my grandson…at Christmas time. Yup, they lasted me that long. Five years ago, this would not have been the case. I vividly remember eating a handful, then going back and eating another handful and maybe even another. And you know what? I can still recall that sloshy feeling in my head from eating so much sugar. Did I REALLY want to eat THAT much?  Probably not. So why, why did I do it?

Before we jump in, I want to introduce myself. I’m Marla, a women’s health coach. I help women with weight loss coaching in St. George and all over.

Does this Sound Familiar?

Once we get back to the house, we take a knife and cut each one into small pieces so everyone can try the different flavors. 

It was fun to taste them all… but I always ate more than I actually wanted.

It was as if the box of donuts kept calling my name. 

Without much thought, I’d wander over, slice off another piece, and pop it into my mouth.

Then dinner would come… and I wasn’t hungry.

And I didn’t feel so great consuming that many calories from donuts. 

This is the Real Problem

You might think losing weight means avoiding the donuts altogether. Putting them on the “naughty” list. 

Believing that if you could just stay away from the sweets — the donuts, the ice cream, the cookies — everything would finally fall into place and you’d fit in your favorite jeans again.

But what if I told you this avoidance is the exact cause of weight regain.

Because you can only avoid something for so long before you finally cave. 

Does this pattern sound familiar? You try so hard to “be good.” But then you give in and end up eating three cookies. You feel horrible about yourself and are convinced nothing is ever going to work for yourself. This entire cycle started with you avoiding the donut.

The real problem isn’t the donut. It’s the portion size.

Instead of avoiding “naughty” foods, try having a smaller portion size.

The Solution: Not another Diet, but Learning to Trust Yourself

The first step towards trusting yourself is becoming educated about what you are actually consuming. 

A tracking app like MyFitnessPal can be a great resource. 

You don’t have to be exact. Simply search “Oreo donut” and see what comes up. I did a quick search and found out one Oreo donut ranges between 350–480 calories.

Information like that doesn’t restrict you.

It puts you in the driver’s seat. 

It gives you power.

The next step is permission. 

Permission to eat all food. 

Because the reality is, it’s not the food that’s the problem, 

it’s your portion size.

Consider eating the donut–just less of it.

When you give yourself permission, the food magically starts to lose its grasp on you and you realize eating half a donut actually tastes better than eating two.

This is the Work

Learning to trust yourself around food.

And like any meaningful work, it takes practice.

I’ve been practicing with Beiler’s Doughnuts for the last three years, getting a chance to try again with every visit to see our girl. 

On our last trip to Philly, the donuts lost. 

I won.

AND IT FELT SO GOOD! 

To get to this place, I had to get it wrong.

I had to overeat those donuts so I would know how much that was exactly what I didn’t want to do!

So give yourself permission to eat all the yummy things in life. 

Try eating a smaller portion size. 

Then keep practicing. Offering yourself grace when you don’t get it right. 

With time, the change will happen. I promise. 

If this resonated with you, I’d love to chat more about women’s health coaching. You can learn more and contact me HERE.